Designer Vern Yip's Georgia Home

Friends warned Vern Yip that once he had children it would be “good-bye, beautiful home.” Not so, he says. “We haven’t done anything differently because we have kids,” says the Atlanta-based designer and father of two.

Sure, there are a few rules. Some precious objects are off-limits, and there’s no ball kicking in the house. (“There’s a big backyard for that.”) Occasionally things get broken. (“They’re only things.”) But Vern and his husband, Craig Koch, prove that a kid- and pet-friendly house doesn’t have to mean barren tabletops and hose-down upholstery. The home they’ve created is filled with fine art, antiques, and artifacts collected from around the world.

Vern and Craig bought the 1925 stucco house about seven years ago. They updated the mechanical systems, tore up carpeting, and refinished the oak floors. Next up was converting the front screen porch into a foyer and creating a gracious entry. The porch’s elegant arched openings were fitted with custom windows and French doors that flood the room with light.

Red, a color associated with good fortune in China, dominates the palette, beginning with the foyer, where a chandelier drips red crystals. “Even though I’ve been in this country since I was two months old, when you grow up being exposed to something, it becomes a part of you,” Vern says. “You weave it through.”

In the foyer, a modernist Baccarat crystal-and-wire chandelier and Asian artifacts set the tone for the house. The center table belonged to Vern Yip’s mother.

“I was raised with lots of really beautiful things within my grasp and, believe me, I broke plenty,” Vern says. “But it was important to my mom that I understand what I could touch and what could be just visually appreciated. We decided to take that approach with our kids, and they’ve been great."

A photo of Vern's mother sits on a console by the stairs. Table drapery fabric and trim are from Vern Yip for Trend.

“For me, growing up with beautiful things and seeing them every day was critical to me being who I am today and knowing what I know,” adds the designer, who recently wrote Vern Yip’s Design Wise, a book to help others beautify their homes.

Even the couple’s five big dogs—including two Great Pyrenees—seem to understand the rules. “They know which rooms they can go into and what furniture they can climb on,” Vern says, though it’s not always easy. “We have 500 pounds of dog in our house.” Of course, it helps that Craig operates WAG-A-LOT dog-care facilities in Atlanta and is pretty adept at handling the big canines.

Living room sofas from Donghia are covered in “Trellis” in Siamese Taupe from Jim Thompson. Walls are Sherwin-Williams’s “Worldly Gray.” An art photograph by Andrew Moore hangs behind a wooden Hindu Ganesh figure, which was purchased in India. The elegant fan-top French doors are original to the 1925 house.

Vern was born in Hong Kong to Chinese parents. When he was an infant, the family moved to the United States, and he grew up in the Washington, D.C., area. The family traveled extensively, so he was exposed to many cultures, including his own Asian heritage.

Today Vern travels around the globe as a UNICEF ambassador, as a columnist for The Washington Post, and to oversee the manufacture of his home furnishings products, including fabrics and accessories. Often the children join Craig and Vern on the global jaunts, enjoying the same kinds of adventures Vern experienced as a child.

Personal stories fill the interiors he and Craig have created. In the living room are the well-worn leather chairs that Vern splurged on when he was a low-paid intern at an architectural firm. “I ate ramen noodles for three months straight after that because I had no money,” he says. “Even the fabric on the sofa has a story,” Vern says with a laugh, noting that he hauled 45 yards of Jim Thompson silk back from Bangkok, stuffing it in an airplane overhead bin.

A deep red antique rug was found in Marrakech. Vern splurged on two used leather chairs modeled on Le Corbusier, which were being removed from a lobby his firm was renovating.

Trips to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos have yielded treasures such as wooden roof spires and antique statuary that are displayed on pedestals throughout the house. Furnishing a home with objects that are reminders of journeys or loved ones makes it timeless, Vern says. “When you have a home that reflects you and your family, you create spaces that last a lifetime,” he says. “I really love being able to walk through a room and see objects that remind me of parts of my life. Surrounding yourself with things that have special memories makes your home yours.”

In addition to a new entry, as the couple updated their home, they also added a two-story wing for a family room, library, bathroom, offices, and a dog room on the main level. Upstairs is the master suite.

A large photograph occupies one wall of the family room, where red leather sofas from RH offer ample seating.

While rooms are filled with fine art and elegant furnishings, this is a family home, Vern insists. Draperies and dining chair seats are made with easy-care synthetic blends from Vern’s fabric collections. “I have to be practical. We have kids and dogs. We need things to be beautiful and low-maintenance,” he says. “I want a home that is warm and welcoming—a home that says who we are.”

Spice-colored fabrics and trims for the draperies, chair upholstery, and table runner are from Vern Yip for Trend, a division of Fabricut. “I love fabric blends from the performance standpoint. They don’t wrinkle and are colorfast and durable,” he says.

The bold master bedroom features a “Modern Metropolis Bed” from Ralph Lauren Home layered with duvets made with Jim Thompson’s “Kosa Pan” print and Vern Yip for Trend “Manhattan Texture” in charcoal. The red pillow sham is from Marrakech.

A blue “Paris Petal Pendant” by Vern Yip for Stonegate Designs hangs above the bed. Fabrics from the Vern Yip for Trend collection were used to make the colorful “Exotic Sky” duvet, bed and settee pillows, and the mustard-hue “Manhattan Texture” draperies.

The Sidecar, price available upon request from Moore & Giles [1-800-737-0169]

This beautifully crafted bar cart, The Sidecar by Moore and Giles, is a great way to store liquor, glassware, bar tools, and anything else needed to complete your own miniature bar. The cart, made of Virginia black walnut, birch, leather, aluminum, and brass, is wheeled to make sure the party can travel with you. Perfect for drink-lovers without the space for a full bar.